Daniel stared at his mother until the room seemed to recede around her.<\/p>\n
Sophie remained on the rug with her crayons.<\/p>\n
She hummed quietly while filling the roof of a badly drawn house with blue.<\/p>\n
Daniel could hear the wax scratching paper.<\/p>\n
It was the only ordinary sound left.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s face was wet with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna\u2019s birth name was Elaine Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Sophie.<\/p>\n
Then back.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the name as if repeating it could restore the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was Anna Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the name she used.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer sister is Claire Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo explain how Anna was born Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret sat slowly.<\/p>\n
Daniel remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was adopted.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the Carters?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she was an infant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s pulse hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho were her biological parents?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Daniel already hated the pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer mother was Elizabeth Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca Mercer used Elizabeth as one of her identities after she escaped Hawthorne.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt the floor tilt beneath him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret nodded through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna was Rebecca\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie looked up at the sound of the chair scraping under Daniel\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
He forced himself to loosen his grip.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
She watched him.<\/p>\n
It clearly was not.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Anna was Rebecca\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was her father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked away.<\/p>\n
That answer frightened him more than the first.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told Nathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
Sophie\u2019s crayon stopped.<\/p>\n
Daniel lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were told?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward never confirmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago, Thomas found adoption papers while helping Edward restructure family trusts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he kept this from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna discovered the truth before she married you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt differently.<\/p>\n
He turned away.<\/p>\n
For two days, he had learned that his father had faked his death, his aunt had built a surveillance network, his uncle had hidden a child, and entire companies had treated grief as a variable.<\/p>\n
But Anna had remained the one fixed point.<\/p>\n
Complicated.<\/p>\n
Brave.<\/p>\n
Angry.<\/p>\n
Secretive when she believed secrecy protected evidence.<\/p>\n
Still Anna.<\/p>\n
Now even their marriage had a locked room.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew she was a Mercer when she married me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know we were related?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret shook her head quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed Rebecca was her mother, but Nathan\u2019s paternity was uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncertain enough to marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and Anna were not raised as family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had genetic testing done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat testing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret nodded reluctantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe verified you were not biologically close enough to create the risk she feared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Stop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do not know what it feels like to learn my wife performed genetic testing before marrying me because she thought she might be related to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie looked over again.<\/p>\n
Daniel saw fear on her face.<\/p>\n
He immediately lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, bedroom for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie stared at Margaret.<\/p>\n
Then Daniel.<\/p>\n
Finally she stood and carried her drawing into the bedroom.<\/p>\n
The door closed.<\/p>\n
Daniel waited.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna\u2019s adoptive parents told her when she was twenty-one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Claire isn\u2019t Anna\u2019s biological sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet she called her sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey grew up together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca gave Anna up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was being watched.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan. Hartwell. possibly Edward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad knew Anna existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince infancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt anger rise again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew Rebecca had a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when I started dating Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe recognized her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words became hard to process.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father met Anna and knew who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice turned almost calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he encourage the relationship?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he discourage it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot openly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe investigated her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost smiled from disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe learned she had already discovered part of her birth history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knew Anna knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he confront her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you proposed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they both let me continue without telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Anna intended to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat word belongs on the Mercer crest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret\u2019s face folded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was afraid you\u2019d think she chose you because of Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
That landed.<\/p>\n
Because he would have wondered.<\/p>\n
He hated that he would have wondered.<\/p>\n
Anna had built her career independently.<\/p>\n
Challenged Edward.<\/p>\n
Challenged Daniel.<\/p>\n
Refused favors that would have made life easier.<\/p>\n
She had spent years proving she was not impressed by the Mercer name.<\/p>\n
If she told Daniel at the beginning that she was biologically tied to that family, perhaps every future disagreement would have carried suspicion.<\/p>\n
He could understand the fear.<\/p>\n
Understanding did not remove the betrayal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she plan to tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret whispered, \u201cShe wrote it in one of the letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one Claire had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of the four pages.<\/p>\n
The fifth.<\/p>\n
Safe box nine.<\/p>\n
There had been so many pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire removed the family section before giving you the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Claire still doing that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel took out his phone.<\/p>\n
He called Claire.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Richard called instead.<\/p>\n
Daniel answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice found him at the shipping terminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCross?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory\u2019s condition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunshot to the abdomen. Surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me Cross shot him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAppears consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Gregory have the second archive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel understood the tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n
Margaret watched him.<\/p>\n
Richard continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also material about Anna\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s patience thinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor had partial knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard went silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned after Anna died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least that\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
Margaret whispered, \u201cYou should talk to Edward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence has produced nothing good today.\u201d<\/p>\n
His phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Not Cross.<\/p>\n
A new number.<\/p>\n
One message:<\/p>\n
ASK SOPHIE WHAT ANNA CALLED HER WHEN NOBODY ELSE WAS AROUND.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Margaret frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He showed her.<\/p>\n
She went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened the bedroom door.<\/p>\n
Sophie sat on the bed coloring.<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you done fighting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were doing loud talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie, can I ask you something strange?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom ever call you another name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike a nickname?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBug.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember Bug.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle Bean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued thinking.<\/p>\n
Then her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes Elaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Margaret covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it was just us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it was a secret name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell you what it meant?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it belonged to a girl who had to learn how to choose her own family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s birth name.<\/p>\n
Elaine Mercer.<\/p>\n
She had given it to Sophie privately.<\/p>\n
Not legally.<\/p>\n
Not officially.<\/p>\n
As a secret story.<\/p>\n
A piece of herself she had not known how to explain.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cDid she say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said if I ever heard grown-ups say I belonged to the Mercers, I should tell them they were wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret began crying.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie repeated carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018You don\u2019t belong to names. Names belong to you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
That was Anna.<\/p>\n
He could hear her.<\/p>\n
Sophie touched his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you crying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss your mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled her close.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, he allowed grief to exist without investigation.<\/p>\n
Then Sophie whispered against his shoulder:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also said Grandpa Edward was scared of Aunt Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stiffened.<\/p>\n
He pulled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she say that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said scared people make cages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Anna had been teaching Sophie in fragments.<\/p>\n
Not the conspiracy.<\/p>\n
Not the crimes.<\/p>\n
Principles.<\/p>\n
Names do not own you.<\/p>\n
Fear makes cages.<\/p>\n
Daniel kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie returned to coloring.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped into the hall.<\/p>\n
Margaret waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means Anna knew Sophie might be pulled into this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she prepared her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the windows.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought farther ahead than all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
His phone rang.<\/p>\n
Edward.<\/p>\n
Daniel considered ignoring it.<\/p>\n
Then answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know about Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward was silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca was her mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan may have been her father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew before I married her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Anna asked me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou listened to her on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you test whether she was related to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI insisted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore or after she did her own testing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my father secretly tested the woman I loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward hesitated.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHair sample.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole her DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid Nathan was her father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward said nothing.<\/p>\n
Daniel knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was Anna\u2019s father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s voice weakened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Nathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
The room disappeared.<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel could not answer.<\/p>\n
Edward continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna was my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s hand slipped against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying I married my half-sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret gasped.<\/p>\n
Edward answered quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not my biological son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared into nothing.<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret never told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel slowly turned toward his mother.<\/p>\n
She had gone completely white.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
She backed against the wall.<\/p>\n
Daniel held the phone away from his ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not my father\u2019s wife right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he telling the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
The motion was almost invisible.<\/p>\n
Daniel felt his entire identity split open.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked down.<\/p>\n
Edward answered through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at her.<\/p>\n
Margaret closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
And Daniel understood why Thomas had spent decades protecting him with a loyalty that had always felt slightly different from an uncle\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at his mother until the room seemed to recede around her. Sophie remained on the rug with her crayons. She hummed quietly while filling the roof of a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30690,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30655\/revisions\/30690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}